Autodesk Fusion
Overview & Sales Fit
A comprehensive analysis of Autodesk, the Fusion platform — "a startup inside of Autodesk" — and why Brady Bjornson is the ideal Sr. Sales Specialist for Fusion Expansion.
About Brady Bjornson
10+ years in enterprise software sales — from building packaging machines at Douglas Machine to selling capital equipment at Geneva Capital and Quick Attach, to closing multi-million dollar platform deals across Autodesk, SOLIDWORKS, and CATIA. A career rooted in manufacturing from day one.
Location
South Portland, ME
Education
BBA — University of North Dakota
Marketing & Sales, Entrepreneurship
linkedin.com/in/bradybjornson
Manufacturing Industry Roots
Before entering enterprise software sales, Brady spent years working directly in the manufacturing industry — building packaging machines at Douglas Machine, financing equipment at Geneva Capital, and selling industrial attachments at Quick Attach. This hands-on experience with the people who design, build, and operate equipment gives Brady a unique understanding of the manufacturing personas that Fusion Core serves — and the credibility to speak their language.
Career Journey
Construction & Packaging Machine Assembly
Packaging AutomationBegan working construction with father at age 12. Built case and tray packaging machines at Douglas Machine in Alexandria, MN before and during college. This hands-on experience with mechanical and automated equipment sparked a lifelong passion for the business side of manufacturing.
Business Development
ERP / Enterprise SoftwareBegan sales career in a business development role at Epicor — an ERP software company serving manufacturing, distribution, and retail industries. Gained foundational experience in enterprise software sales before returning to Alexandria, MN.
Capital Equipment Leasing Sales
Equipment FinancingSold capital equipment leasing and financing solutions to businesses across multiple industries. Developed consultative selling skills by helping companies acquire the equipment they needed to grow.
Skid Steer & Tractor Attachment Sales
Industrial Equipment / AttachmentsSold skid steer and tractor attachments — hands-on industrial equipment sales experience working directly with contractors, farmers, and equipment operators. Built deep understanding of the end users who design and build things.
Named Accounts — Industrial Equipment
Design & Manufacturing SoftwareDiamond Club, New Business Rep of the Year (FY18). Partnered on $15M+ GE EBA. Defined new position to prospect and grow Named Accounts division. Executed 300+ participant webinar series driving GE Netfabb adoption.
Account Manager — SOLIDWORKS & PDM/PLM
SOLIDWORKS VAR / CAD-CAM-PLMLargest SOLIDWORKS PDM Pro/Manage combined deal in CATI history (Stolle Machinery, $1M+). 128% quota attainment in 2019. 6th in total sales out of 50+ reps. Sold 3D CAD, Simulation, PDM, PLM, and PCB solutions — capabilities that directly parallel Fusion Core.
Strategic Accounts
IT Asset ManagementEnterprise Accounts under VP John Cichy (now at Dassault). Strategic team was later disbanded — led to next opportunity at Dassault Systèmes.
CATIA Sales Expert → Client Executive (NAM)
PLM / 3DEXPERIENCE Platform152% quota attainment (2022), 162% attainment (2021, capped at 125%). President's Club 2021. Led CATIA Magic (Cameo) MBSE initiative at John Deere ($650K). First direct sales 'land' account via CoEngagement initiative in Client Executive role.
Quota Attainment & Recognition
Recognition
Sales Methodologies & Training
Beyond the Office
Originally from ND/MN, previously owned short-term rentals in Winter Park and Grand Lake, CO. Recently moved to South Portland, ME — now exploring the ocean a short walk from home.
What I'm Looking For
Sales-focused culture with emphasis on RGAs
Dedicated team of professionals who work as hard as I do
Collaborative team engagement with customers — agile to get sales done no matter what
Trust and transparency from my manager about the marketplace and territory
Solid presence in ICP industry
Career mentorship and President's Club achievement
Remove the noise, generate pipeline, and close deals with extended team
"I began working construction with my father at age 12 and built packaging machines at Douglas Machine before college. That hands-on experience with mechanical and automated equipment sparked my passion for the business side of manufacturing — and it's guided every career move since. From selling skid steer attachments to closing $15M+ enterprise platform deals, I've always stayed close to the people who design and build things."
— Brady Bjornson
Company Overview
Autodesk is changing how the world is designed and made. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company empowers innovators across architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, media, and entertainment.
About Autodesk
Autodesk's transition to a SaaS model has resulted in a highly resilient business with compounding growth. FY2026 revenue reached $7.21B, an 18% year-over-year increase, with Q4 revenue of $1.96B growing 19%. The company's FY2027 guidance projects $8.10B–$8.17B in revenue, reflecting continued strong momentum.
Recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Companies (two years running), and Forbes' World's Best Employers, Autodesk combines technological leadership with a culture of integrity and innovation.
Culture: One ORBIT
Autodeskers power forward together, driven by five shared values and their commitment to acting as One Autodesk.
Executive Leadership
"Fusion is a startup inside of Autodesk, and we're disrupting the manufacturing CAD CAM space with a cloud platform that enables seamless design and manufacturing workflows. There's nothing like it in the industry."
"We move fast, we test new ideas, we figure out what works, and we kill what doesn't. If you've got that fire in the belly, and you're looking to solve hard problems, and you want to be part of something that's scaling rapidly — you should keep listening."
— Alex Willingham, VP of Fusion Sales
From recruiter video shared with candidates
Product Portfolio
Autodesk Fusion is the cloud-based 3D CAD, CAM, CAE, and PCB platform that transforms the product development process. This role focuses on Fusion Core — the flagship cloud CAD/CAM offering.
Cloud-Native Design & Make
Autodesk Fusion
Integrated CAD, CAM, CAE, PCB, and PDM essentials for design and collaboration in a single, unified workspace. The cloud-native platform that unifies the entire product development process.
Go-to-Market Strategy
Fusion is one of Autodesk's fastest growing businesses, and the company is attacking the midmarket with urgency. As VP Alex Willingham puts it: 'Fusion is a startup inside of Autodesk — we're going after bigger deals, larger companies, and we need the right people to help us execute.'
Whitespace Hunting
Hunt inside assigned midmarket accounts and prospect into divisions, teams, and workflows where Autodesk has no presence — creating new Fusion conversations from scratch.
End-to-End Deal Ownership
Drive Fusion deals end-to-end as the primary seller, or co-sell with the Midmarket AE depending on the opportunity. Own the Fusion narrative and close with confidence.
Co-Selling with Midmarket AEs
Build coordinated account strategies with Midmarket Account Executives and execute aggressive joint plays. Be the Fusion expert inside the Expansion sales engine.
Multi-Threading
Navigate across engineering, operations, manufacturing, R&D, and IT to find pain fast, build champions, and create deal momentum at multiple levels.
Build Repeatable Plays
Capture what works. Turn it into repeatable plays. Scale it across the midmarket business. The Fusion team runs at startup speed — document, iterate, and share what wins.
Open Role Details
🔥The Startup Mentality
Unlike traditional enterprise sales orgs, the Fusion team operates with startup velocity inside Autodesk's enterprise infrastructure. Alex Willingham describes the culture: "We move fast, we test new ideas, we figure out what works, and we kill what doesn't. If you need everything buttoned up and predictable, this is probably not the right team for you."
Midmarket manufacturers are moving fast toward modern, cloud-based workflows. Fusion is the platform leading that change. The demand is here. The market is ready. The growth curve is steep. Brady's history of building pipeline from scratch at CATI, prospecting into brand-new MBSE opportunities at Dassault, and capturing repeatable plays demonstrates exactly this entrepreneurial DNA.
Success Metrics
ACV from Fusion sales inside assigned midmarket accounts
New opportunity creation from net-new divisions & teams
Pipeline velocity and deal progression
Strength of execution with Midmarket AEs & technical teams
Sales Fit Analysis
The Boomerang Advantage — Brady's prior Diamond Club success at Autodesk, midmarket selling experience at CATI, and enterprise PLM/MBSE expertise from Dassault Systèmes create an exceptional alignment with this midmarket Fusion Expansion role.
Track record of beating quota in midmarket or similar sales environments
Consistent quota crusher: 139% at Autodesk (Diamond Club), 162% at Dassault (President's Club), 128% at CATI. Deep midmarket experience at CATI selling SOLIDWORKS, CAM, simulation, and PCB solutions to manufacturing companies.
Strong hunting instincts to uncover hidden workflows, new divisions, and expansion pathways
Built territory from scratch at CATI. Identified whitespace for MBSE at John Deere by connecting software capabilities to their autonomous tractor and electrification initiatives — a product most reps avoided.
Experience in overlay or co-selling motions with mixed deal ownership
Extensive overlay experience co-selling with Account Managers at Autodesk and Client Executives at Dassault Systèmes. Comfortable owning deals end-to-end or co-selling depending on the opportunity.
Confidence selling into engineering, design, manufacturing, and operational personas
Sold CAD, CAM, simulation, PDM, PLM, MBSE, and PCB solutions across his career. Fluent in the language of design engineers, manufacturing engineers, and operations leaders.
Ability to influence multiple layers and get decisions made quickly
Multi-threaded across 22+ stakeholders at Daikin Applied. Routinely engaged C-level executives while maintaining credibility with engineering end-users on the shop floor.
Passion for cloud-native, AI-powered manufacturing tools
Deep understanding of the shift from legacy desktop CAD to cloud platforms. Sold against and alongside SOLIDWORKS for years — knows exactly where Fusion's cloud-native architecture wins.
High competitiveness, urgency, and startup mentality
VP Alex Willingham describes Fusion as 'a startup inside of Autodesk.' Brady built pipeline from scratch at CATI, prospected into brand-new MBSE opportunities at Dassault, and thrives in ambiguity — exactly the 'fire in the belly' Alex is looking for.
Quota Attainment History
First Direct Sales 'Land'
152% Quota ($2.5M)
162% Quota — President's Club
128% Quota ($312K GP)
108% Quota (departing)
139% Quota — Diamond Club
Interview Playbook
Strategic guidance for positioning Brady's experience against the key themes the recruiter and hiring team will evaluate. Includes insights from Alex Willingham's (VP, Fusion Sales) recruiting video and the updated Sr. Sales Specialist, Fusion Expansion job description.
The recruiter emphasized prospecting and bringing a new product to the company — the ability to diagnose where Fusion fits within a midmarket manufacturer and find the gaps others miss.
Lead with business catalysts, not product features. At John Deere, the catalyst was autonomous tractors and electrification — not 'we sell CAD software.' Apply this same approach to midmarket accounts.
Hunt inside assigned accounts and prospect into divisions, teams, and workflows where Autodesk has no presence. Map the org chart before the first call — identify which divisions are using legacy tools and where Fusion can consolidate.
Build a hypothesis for every account: What are they building? What's their biggest engineering challenge? Where are the silos between design and manufacturing? What's their growth trajectory?
At CATI, Brady built territory from scratch selling SOLIDWORKS, CAM, simulation, and PCB solutions to midmarket manufacturers — the exact motion this role requires with Fusion.
Fusion Core ROI & Value
A comprehensive breakdown of Fusion Core's 10 capability modules — each mapped to ROI impact, your CATI/SOLIDWORKS selling experience, and specific selling angles. Use this as a study reference for understanding exactly what Fusion does, why it matters, and how your background directly applies.
Fusion Core is a unified design-to-manufacture platform — not a collection of separate tools. Understanding each capability module, its ROI impact, and how it maps to your CATI/SOLIDWORKS selling experience will help you articulate Fusion's value with deep credibility. Click each module to expand the full breakdown.
Deal Case Studies
Two deals that demonstrate the exact skills required for the Fusion Expansion role: whitespace prospecting at John Deere and transforming a midmarket manufacturer from file-based chaos to PDM + PLM at Stolle Machinery — the largest SOLIDWORKS PDM Pro/Manage deal in CATI history.
John Deere
$650K
9 months
Randall Satterthwaite
CATIA Magic (Cameo)
This deal demonstrates exactly what the Fusion Expansion role requires: identifying whitespace inside accounts by connecting a software capability to a strategic business initiative. Brady didn't wait for John Deere to ask for MBSE — he connected their public autonomous tractor strategy to a product they didn't know they needed. The same approach applies to finding Fusion opportunities within midmarket manufacturers — start with the business catalyst, not the product features.
Stolle Machinery
$1M+
18+ months
Engineering Leadership
SOLIDWORKS PDM Pro + Manage
This deal directly parallels the Fusion Expansion motion: taking a midmarket manufacturer from outdated, disconnected tools to a modern, unified platform. Stolle went from shared drives to PDM + PLM — the same transformation Fusion delivers when replacing disconnected CAD/CAM/simulation tools with one cloud platform. It also demonstrates Brady's ability to sell both the technical solution (PDM) and the business transformation (PLM/Manage) in a single deal — exactly what Fusion Expansion requires when positioning Fusion as more than just CAD.
Talking Points
Conversation openers and supporting context for key interview themes. Each point is designed to demonstrate domain expertise, midmarket selling experience, and strategic thinking.
"I sold SOLIDWORKS at CATI for years — I know exactly where it falls short. Fusion's cloud-native architecture solves the problems I watched my customers struggle with every day."
Having sold SOLIDWORKS, CAMWorks, simulation, PDM, and PCB connector solutions at CATI, Brady has firsthand competitive knowledge of the legacy desktop approach. He can articulate Fusion's advantages from the perspective of someone who lived inside the SOLIDWORKS ecosystem.
Cloud-native vs. desktop-first architecture is the defining competitive battleground in midmarket
AI features (generative design, AutoConstrain) are differentiators legacy tools can't match
Integrated CAD/CAM/simulation eliminates the multi-vendor stack midmarket companies are paying too much for
SOLIDWORKS customers are frustrated by upgrade cycles, server costs, and bolt-on modules — Fusion solves all of it
"At John Deere, I didn't just sell software — I connected our MBSE solution directly to their autonomous tractor and Kreisel battery-electric initiatives. I know how to find the business catalyst that drives new product adoption in accounts where we have no presence."
The recruiter emphasized prospecting and diagnosing where a company can utilize Fusion. Brady's approach is to start with the customer's strategic initiatives — not product features — and work backward to identify where Fusion creates value. In midmarket accounts, this means finding the engineering pain that's limiting growth.
Start with the customer's growth trajectory — what are they building next, and what's holding them back?
Map divisions and teams where Autodesk has no presence — find the hidden engineering workflows
Build a hypothesis for every account before the first call: What legacy tools are they on? Where are the silos?
Capture what works and turn it into repeatable plays that scale across the midmarket
"I left Autodesk as Diamond Club winner and New Business Rep of the Year. I'm returning with midmarket selling expertise from CATI — where I closed the largest PDM Pro/Manage deal in company history at Stolle Machinery — competitive intelligence from Dassault, and a $15M+ GE EBA deal that was the largest manufacturing deal in Autodesk history."
The boomerang narrative is powerful: Brady left Autodesk at the peak of his success, gained deep midmarket experience at CATI selling the SOLIDWORKS ecosystem, then added enterprise PLM and MBSE expertise at Dassault Systèmes. He's returning with a broader skill set uniquely suited for the Fusion Expansion role.
Diamond Club FY18 + New Business Rep of the Year proves cultural fit and Autodesk sales execution
CATI experience adds midmarket manufacturing selling expertise — the exact market Fusion is attacking
Dassault experience adds competitive intelligence and enterprise depth for larger midmarket deals
The combination creates a unique profile: Autodesk DNA + midmarket expertise + enterprise maturity
"I've sold across the entire manufacturing stack — from CAD and CAM at CATI to PLM and MBSE at Dassault. I know how to talk to machinists about toolpathing just as effectively as I talk to VPs about consolidating their software footprint."
Fusion for Manufacturing is a key growth vector in the midmarket. Brady's experience selling CAMWorks and SOLIDWORKS CAM at CATI means he can speak the language of the shop floor while building business cases for the boardroom.
Manufacturing buyers care about cycle time, tool life, and surface finish — not software features
The CAD-to-CAM workflow is where Fusion's integration creates the most tangible ROI for midmarket shops
Consolidation narrative resonates: replace 3-5 separate tools with one Fusion subscription
Fusion Manufacturing Extension (5-axis, nesting, additive) is a natural upsell within existing accounts
"Midmarket manufacturers are moving fast toward modern, cloud-based workflows. They don't have time for 18-month evaluations. I know how to move fast, qualify hard, and close deals with urgency — that's how I built my territory at CATI from scratch."
The new job description emphasizes urgency, velocity, and aggressive execution. Midmarket deals move faster than enterprise but require the same strategic thinking. Brady's CATI experience building territory from zero is the exact proof point for this motion.
Midmarket deals require faster qualification and tighter sales cycles — use MEDDPICC to qualify early and hard
Leverage Outreach, Consensus, and Gong to increase velocity and sharpen messaging
Co-sell with Midmarket AEs by leading with 'how can I help you hit your number?'
Build repeatable plays: document what works, share it with the team, scale it across the business
90-Day Onboarding Plan
A structured approach to ramping quickly, building pipeline, and delivering early results in the Sr. Sales Specialist, Fusion Expansion role. Designed to align with Alex Willingham's vision: 'We move fast, we test new ideas, we figure out what works.'
Structured for Speed
Three phases designed to build knowledge, generate pipeline, and deliver measurable results within the first quarter. Built for the midmarket velocity the Fusion Expansion team demands.
Learn & Prepare
Complete Fusion product certification — deep dive into Fusion Core CAD, CAM, simulation, generative design, PCB, and cloud data management capabilities
Reverse engineer the quota: understand ACV targets, pipeline velocity expectations, and how success is measured for the Fusion Expansion team
Map every assigned midmarket account in the East territory — identify current Autodesk footprint, Fusion usage, key contacts, and whitespace hypotheses
Shadow top-performing Fusion Sales Specialists on 5+ customer calls to understand the current midmarket sales motion and objection handling
Build relationships with Midmarket AEs and align with Alex Willingham's team on the 'startup inside Autodesk' operating model — understand how the Fusion team tests, iterates, and scales
Study competitive landscape: SOLIDWORKS positioning (from CATI experience), Siemens NX, PTC Creo/Onshape cloud narrative, and how each competes in midmarket
Deliver a territory plan with prioritized midmarket accounts, whitespace hypotheses, and 90-day pipeline targets to Alex Willingham and sales leadership.
Build Momentum
Begin outbound prospecting into top 10 whitespace opportunities using Outreach sequences tailored to each midmarket account's engineering challenges
Conduct discovery calls with 15+ new contacts across assigned accounts — focus on engineering leaders, manufacturing directors, and operations managers
Co-develop 3 account strategies with Midmarket AEs, identifying specific Fusion expansion plays and joint attack plans
Deliver 2 Fusion value presentations to prospect accounts, customized to their industry, current toolset, and growth trajectory
Build pipeline: target 3x quota coverage in qualified opportunities by end of Phase 2
Leverage Gong to analyze call recordings and Consensus for async demos — refine messaging based on what resonates with midmarket buyer personas
Pipeline review with sales leadership showing 3x coverage, qualified opportunities in MEDDPICC framework, and clear next steps for each deal.
Drive Results
Progress top opportunities through technical evaluation and POC stages — leverage Fusion technical sellers for sharp demos and solution alignment
Drive Fusion expansion within 2+ existing accounts — identify new divisions, schedule onboarding, and track activation metrics
Close first net-new ACV deal or advance a deal to final negotiation stage
Capture what works: document the repeatable plays that are generating pipeline and share them across the Fusion Expansion team
Build executive relationships in top 3 accounts — connect Fusion adoption to their specific business outcomes (time-to-market, cost reduction, scalability)
Contribute to team knowledge: share competitive insights from CATI/SOLIDWORKS experience, objection handling techniques, and midmarket account intelligence
First closed deal or advanced negotiation, 2+ expansion opportunities in progress, and a documented repeatable play for midmarket Fusion whitespace prospecting.
Conclusion
Autodesk is leading the transformation of how the world is designed and made, and Fusion is at the forefront of this cloud-native, AI-driven revolution. The midmarket is moving fast toward modern workflows, and the Fusion Expansion team needs sellers who can hunt whitespace, co-sell with urgency, and build repeatable plays that scale.
Brady Bjornson's history — including his previous Diamond Club success at Autodesk, his midmarket selling expertise at CATI (SOLIDWORKS, CAM, simulation, PCB), his enterprise wins at Dassault Systèmes, and his proven ability to connect complex engineering software to strategic business initiatives like John Deere's autonomous tractors — makes him an exceptional fit for the Sr. Sales Specialist, Fusion Expansion role.
"If you've got that fire in the belly, and you're looking to solve hard problems, and you want to be part of something that's scaling rapidly — this could be your chance to be part of something that's just getting started."
— Alex Willingham, VP of Fusion Sales
What I'm Looking For
I'm looking for a role where I can combine my deep Autodesk knowledge with the midmarket selling expertise I built at CATI and the enterprise maturity I gained at Dassault. The Sr. Sales Specialist, Fusion Expansion position represents the perfect intersection of my experience: a cloud-native product I believe in, a midmarket motion I've mastered, a startup mentality I thrive in, and a company culture I already know and love.
I'm ready to come home to Autodesk and drive Fusion growth across the midmarket.